A comic melodrama set in a New York boarding house for young aspiring
actresses, STAGE DOOR was loosely adapted from the play by George S.
Kaufman and Edna Ferber into a vehicle for both Katharine Hepburn and
Ginger Rogers. Hepburn plays an upper-crust type, resented by
the
other girls for having a wealthy father who buys her a career; Rogers
is her sassy roommate with a sugar daddy (Adolphe Menjou) who might do
the same for her. The two leads are a perfect match of
opposites,
with a sharp chemistry that makes their verbal sparring matches among
the film's comic highlights. The film abounds with
well-rounded
supporting characters, especially Lucille Ball and Eve Arden as the
resident wisecrackers. In addition to its excellence as a
film,
STAGE DOOR is also notable for offering an insightful look at the
social lives and customs of young women, circa 1937. It's the
film where Kate Hepburn says "The calla lilies are in bloom again," a
catchphrase later appropriated by Bugs Bunny. ½ - JL